David Grainger, Computer Doctor

[redacted] Please See Attached Documents [redacted]
Revdex.com POBox 1000 Dupont, WA98327July 12,2015re: ID [redacted], [redacted]. Sequim, WAIn response to this complaint, we are unwilling to refund to Mrs [redacted], on the basis that the allegations presented in her complaint are incorrect and...

incomplete, and are not her own composition.Mrs [redacted] has been coached by her adult son, [redacted], who does not live with her, who injected himself into the matter in an angry and threatening manner without seeing the subject computers until after the fact. His statement that he had "put the new computer together in ten minutes" is also incorrect: I had already set up the new computer and had it running, when I discovered material defects in the hard disk drive in that computer which will lead to an early failure. Simply getting the machine to run is only part of the process; it is in poor condition, determined by diagnostics both included within Windows and within the computer's system and by third party diagnostic software. [redacted] is an employee of [redacted], in the IT department, according to Mrs [redacted].I had assisted Mrs [redacted] in ordering a new computer, more appropriately configured, directly from [redacted], by telephone. After she told her son [redacted], he talked her into cancelling the order, and used his position at [redacted] to order her a less well equipped computer. I noted that it appeared to have been roughly handled in shipping, which could have been the cause of the drive damage, and told her so when she called me to come set it up. Nonetheless, she asked me to set it up, and to install anti-malware software, which I did.. I did, in fact, have the computer completely set up and running.Since the old computer was so badly corrupted, with system files and the master file table damaged, there appeared to be only a couple of possibilities for recovery of her pictures and data files from the old computer. One of these is to make an image of the data files using a program running Linux from a bootable DVD, called Acronis, which then could be re-expanded into the new computer. That process takes a long time to complete; at this step, and every step where problems were encountered, I kept Mrs [redacted] informed and offered her the opportunity to drop the project. That would have meant non-recovery of files, since she did not have any backup system in place. She did request that I keep trying to save her files.Alter several hours of effort, at 4:30 PM, the image process failed because of the severity of damage already existent in the old computer. I then told her that we could reconvene after the holiday weekend and try another method to save some or all files. She went into the other room, after agreeing to that proposal, and returned with [redacted] on the phone. At her request, I told him the details of the situation, that the new PC worked but had material defects which should concern them both.[redacted]'s response was that the new PC should be returned, but that he was coming to see his mother for the holiday, and would handle it.Over the holiday weekend I received a call from [redacted] on my cell phone. He was angry, belligerent, and threatened me. He claimed that there was nothing wrong with the new computer. He demanded refund.I told him that apparently he did not understand the effort made to try and help his mother, nor the severity of the mess on her old PC.   I also told him that I had not charged her for some of the actual total number of hours that had been consumed in that effort. He got more strident, so I told him that his mother was my customer, and that he was not. I ended the call when he started making additional threats.It is my observation that [redacted] was grandstanding for his mother, that he had tried to make points by finding her a cheap computer instead of the one that HP had offered (which itself was on a 40% sale price) and that he didn't want to lose face when things went "off the rails." I believe that this is the reason for his attacking phone call, and for this complaint.I don't know whether [redacted] developed my personal home address by inappropriate access to [redacted] databases or not; I am a customer of [redacted], but do not publish my home address, only my mail box address in Port Townsend. This complaint used the home address, which makes me think that [redacted] may have done that, given his position at [redacted]. I am contacting [redacted] Corporate Offices to find out if that violation occurred, and whether they have a policy regarding access for personal reasons by employees; if so, I will take appropriate steps either with [redacted] or authorities.Had Mrs [redacted] stuck to the HP purchase, it would not have been necessary for me to try to repair the damaged areas of the hard drive on the new computer. However, file recovery from the old PC would have been the same problem either way.Ironically, in my almost forty two years in business, this kerfuffle is the first Revdex.com complaint!David V. G[redacted]Port Townsend, WA 98368 [redacted] cc: [redacted]